In the sometimes stale world of modern hardcore, Crime In Stereo Is Dead is as refreshing an album as it is inaccurately named. While full of the aggression and intensity one would expect of a release on Bridge Nine Records, the album is equally big on atmospheric soundscapes and buzzing electronics. Vocalist Kristian Hallbert sings in a breathy falsetto almost as much as he screams, balancing hushed whispers with primal screeching. The haunting bridge of “Third Atlantic” finds him pulling back to channel Nick Drake, only to squeeze one more shout-along chorus into the last 15 seconds of the song. So all this begs to question – is Crime In Stereo still a hardcore band?

Luckily I don’t pretend to be an authority on any genre of music, least of all hardcore, so I don’t intend to answer this question. When Crime In Stereo played at The Knitting Factory last week, I took the decidedly un-hardcore route and opted for the balcony to avoid the moshpit and the stage diving. From a safe distance, I studied the confused crowd as they struggled to understand this unfamiliar notion of melody and dynamic variation, a flock of teenagers desperately wanting to flail their limbs wildly but not finding in this music the requisite breakdowns to which they could do so. It’s a versatility that has allowed the band to tour with diverse acts like Brand New and Poison The Well alike, breaking the hardcore mold to find common ground with a wider range of fans.

No matter who the intended audience may be, Crime In Stereo Is Dead is an ambitious album, each of its 11 tracks determined to make an impact. The band has set out first and foremost to challenge themselves, not content to work within the limitations of a single genre. There are occasional moments where they falter however, like the somewhat light and insubstantial “Animal Pharm,” or the meandering pseudo-psychadelic vibe of “Orbiter.” But neither manages to detract from the intensity that is meticulously built throughout. Overall it is a solid album, the songs’ tight compositions never releasing the tension that propels you through its brief 35 minutes.

One standout track is the bleak “Small Skeletal,” which starts out with a quirky but somber melody over a pulsing rock beat. The verse gradually builds and gives way to an explosive dual-vocal chorus, in which visceral screams and an ambient falsetto create an unlikely call and response, punctuated by thundering half-time drums underneath. The second verse is all-out new wave, with a distorted bass carrying ping-pong muted guitars over a dance-rock beat to another frenzied chorus. By the time the bridge builds to the final climax of the song, the emotional impact is at once draining and exhilarating.

Other tracks experiment with atypical compositional structures, such as the mini-epic “…But You Are Vast,” a song with no repeating sections, that still somehow manages to feel completely unified in its own logic. Three or so minutes and several tempo changes after it began, the song comes to a conclusion that makes a kind of sense that can’t really be explained. It’s rare to come across an album as inspired and uncompromising as Crime In Stereo Is Dead. Full of energy but not formulaic, sincere but completely unpredictable, this is an album that will hit you hard but still stand up to repeat listens. I’m just hoping the album title proves to be ironic and they stick around long enough to build on the potential they’ve shown this time around.